I teach English as a Second Language (ESOL). I work in one of the most diverse schools in the country, Freedom Middle School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. We currently have about 33% of our student population who are new to the country. In fact, about 350 of students represent 46 different countries. Our students are mainly from refugee populations or war torn countries, so there are many challenges that I have to “wrap my head around” on a daily basis. I currently teach 7th grade, and I have a little over 70 students through the course of 5 class periods. In addition to being the 7th grade sheltered ELA-ESOL, I am also certified in Special Education (all contents - reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies), Business Education, and General Education Reading 4-8. I also serve on the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math team). I am the drama club teacher, the dance team coach, a 21st century community learning teacher, a Socratic Seminar teacher, and a summer school teacher.

I think my passion for technology comes from three places. The first place is high school. The second place is college, and the third is from working for Verizon Wireless. In high school, I valued the power that technology played in spreading my passion for arts because I was able to view myself via vhs in plays, and I also had the chance to record a studio and do a few commercials. In college,I extended my passion for technology by becoming an aspiring television news anchor, so I majored in Broadcast Journalism at Georgia Southern University. I was able to learn a great deal about how television and the news work, and how “Time is money, and money is time.” I was able to see all sides of technology that involved broadcasting a live or recorded radio or television show, and I felt empowered. Last, working for a telecommunications company eight years before I began teaching helped me to learn how to use technology to quickly acquire knowledge, leverage, and multi-task by working in various departments through the course of my career. This experience has helped me successfully transition and survive the world of k-12 over the last five years.

Angie Fenton(7th grade Social Studies)Angela.Fenton@cobbk12.org
Greetings! My name is Angie Fenton, and I am certified in Middle Grades 4-8 with a concentration in language arts and social studies. I am certified in gifted education, and I currently teach 7th grade advanced content social studies. I have also had previous experience teaching (6-8) gifted science, language arts, social studies, and 7th grade social studies in the regular education setting.

I feel at ease and comfortable working with technology, and I am not afraid to try something new. I consider myself to be a risk-taker, and I like to "play" with technology programs until I eventually figure things out. I am a Mac girl and love all things Apple. I am comfortable using PowerPoint, Excel, Word and love working with iMovie and various NEW technology applications. I consider myself privileged to have a Smartboard in my classroom along with our school's new set of 15 Apple iPads:)

I am just like most of my students with the fact that I like group work IF I can select the members of my group. I have very high expectations and prefer to work with people who are dependable, hard working, and timely with assignments/deadlines. I am a team player and will do what is needed to accomplish the task at hand. I tend to be a "worrying perfectionist", and I am learning/trying NOT to be so obsessive. My strengths are in writing, and I enjoy all creative opportunities.

I would identify trust as an area that is a weakness for me when it comes to group work. I think that we have all had our own horror stories re: group work and/or failing technology. I don't mean to be pushy or make my group members think that I am "checking up" on them, but I feel most successful when everyone does more than his/her share of the work.

Hello my name is Marianna Foxwell. I currently teach seventh grade science. I have my masters in instructional technology and my gifted certification. I have also had experience teaching social studies, math, and language arts.

In my classroom I am consistently using technology. This year I am experimenting with the flipped classroom, where lectures are done at home through video feeds and the work is done in class. It is working out pretty well so far. I am pretty much comfortable with most technology and if I do not know the program I will play with it till I figure it out.

My strengths as a group member are that I am good with technology and that I am willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done by the deadline. My weakness is that I have an extremely busy life, which can make me have to wait till the last minute on some things.

My name is Cynthia Sallas and I teach instrumental music and am certified K-12 in Chorus, Orchestra and Band.

I am comfortable working with technology and love trying new applications. I have found that my students love technology and are excited to try new technology with me. I use technology daily in my class and have my students use recording/video apps to play grades and email them to me. It saves class time and the students love using the technology.

In relation to group work, my strengths are streamlining the material and keeping everyone from procrastinating. My weakness is over-thinking issues and keeping things in perspective.